HEALTH

Teen death included in latest COVID-19 cases among Utahns

UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 AT 1:39 PM

A woman gets her temperature taken before receiving a COVID-19 vaccination at the Mountain America Exposition Center in Sandy on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

BY BECKY BRUCE
News Director

SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake County resident between the ages of 15 and 17 died of COVID-19, according to the latest case count data of the virus among Utahns.

The numbers released Thursday from the Utah Department of Health include the deaths of 12 more Utahns from COVID-19. Of those, one victim, identified as a resident of Salt Lake County between the ages of 15 and 24, can be further identified as between the ages of 15 and 17, because of differences in the way the state and the counties report their numbers. The data dashboard for the Salt Lake County Health Department shows one death in a child between the ages of 12 and 17, which allows us to infer the age of the victim.

Of those who died, UDOH identified the victims as ranging in ages from 15 to 84. Two resided in Weber County, 4 in Utah County, 4 in Salt Lake County (including the teenager), 1 in Tooele County and 1 in Washington County.

COVID-19 and Utahns

The Utah Department of Health reported 1,687 new cases of COVID-19 among Utahns on Thursday, for a total of 467,794 since the pandemic began.

In addition, the agency reported 498 Utahns required hospitalization for COVID-19 on Thursday. 182 of those patients were in the ICU.

Utah health officials said of the 1,687 new cases, 413 occurred among school-age children. Broken down, there were 162 new cases among children ages 5 – 10, 119 new cases among children ages 11 – 13, and 132 new cases among teens ages 14 – 18.

Parents can see a breakdown of school-associated cases on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, here.

Vaccines and risk assessment

8,876 more Utahns received the COVID-19 vaccine in the latest UDOH numbers. To date, health officials in the state have administered 3,272,733 vaccine doses.

According to the health department, for the last 28 days, the risk of coming down with COVID-19 is 5 times greater for unvaccinated Utahns. For hospitalization, the risk to the unvaccinated is 5.3 times greater than that of vaccinated Utahns. And health officials report unvaccinated Utahns face 4.8 times greater risk of death than vaccinated Utahns.

Rolling averages and trends

According to UDOH, the rolling 7-day average for positive COVID-19 tests in Utah is 1,317 per day.

Health officials report an increase of 13,166 Utahns tested for COVID-19 since the day before, and an increase of 19,608 tests performed.

That means the rolling 7-day average of people testing positive in Utah is 14.1%, and the rolling 7-day average of total positive test results is 10.4%.

How To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus

COVID-19 coronavirus spreads person to person, similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:

Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t touch your face.
Wear a mask to protect yourself and others per CDC recommendations.
Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet).
If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities).
Obtain a flu shot.
Seek out the COVID-19 vaccine.